An Otherwise Perfect Plan

A Novel of Mystery, Love, and of Chocolate That Defies Description

By: Ken Schafer

Narrated by: Renee Cannon

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

An Otherwise Perfect Plan is a fiercely intelligent, introspective, and laugh-out-loud funny young adult novel of self-discovery, narrated by a quirky teenage girl as she embarks on an unpredictable and often hilarious quest to find the father she's never known, unravel the mystery of her mom's silence on the subject, and achieve the impossible: actually understanding her own unruly emotions.

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Gwen Pendergrass has a problem.

Well, a whole bunch if you really want to start counting, but then again, what sixteen-year-old doesn't?

Her latest is an assignment in English class to write a paper on her earliest memory of her father, only she's got zip. Nada. Absolutely none at all.

She strongly suspects this is due to never having actually met the man. In fact, the only presence he's had in her life is as a face in a strip of photobooth photos taken in Las Vegas during "The Weekend She Was Made" (ew....!) In them, he and her mom look really happy, and kind of drunk, which Gwen figures explains a lot. Or, if not a lot, at least her birth nine months later.

Aside from showing her the photo strip, Gwen's Mom has flat out refused to tell Gwen anything about him, not even his name, leaving Gwen with an enduring mystery that she's worried like a loose tooth. Though without the shiny dollar coin that the tooth would bring at the end.

All this changes when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to alter the course of their lives falls into Gwen's mom's lap. But nothing is ever simple with Gwen, and she has to rope her best friend Peter into a wild, Hail Mary of a plan to find her long-lost dad to ensure that nothing stands in the way of her mom reclaiming her future.

What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out, just about everything, and she soon finds herself racing against time to succeed before her mom figures out what she's doing, her head explodes, or it all spirals completely out of control.

©2015, 2023 Ken Schafer (P)2024 Ken Schafer

Renee Cannon, the narrator, is AMAZING!

Ken Schafer here, the author of this book, and I just wanted to talk about how incredible Renee is at bringing my characters to life. She literally IS my main character, and her other voices, both male and female are so unique and distinctive that we actually had to go back and do a good bit of editing to remove the "he said," "she replied" (etc.) tags as they were just superfluous, and it flowed better without them.

I've got to tell you, as an author, it's always scary when someone else brings their interpretation to your work, but I truly couldn't be more thrilled with what Renee did with this--performing it more like a radio play, than just a narration--and we are both incredibly proud of this production, and really think you'll like it as well.

Kudos Renee!

Endearing! Well Written and Performed

Ken Schafer creates An Otherwise Perfect Plan, an endearing story of 16-year-old Gwen’s journey to locate her father. Her single mother raised Gwen, and her career goals changed. They have lived in various sub-housing apartments in Boston. The current location is a cramped apartment often visited by rats with her cat Buddha. She treasures her best friend, Peter, a neighbor who attends the same high school. Gwen's mom works two low-paying jobs, and Gwen's job is to finish high school. When Gwen’s English teacher requested each student to write about the earliest meaningful time with their father, Gwen tried to get the teacher to understand she didn’t know her father, but the teacher was unrelenting.

Telling the story in first person, Gwen shows her rollercoaster emotions as she tries to find her father following disjointed clues and hoping her mother can take advantage of the full-ride Yale scholarship. Typical of many YA novels, it follows a stream of consciousness. The descriptions of Gwen’s school, her apartment, and places along her journey are revealed with snappy dialogue, humor, and tumultuous emotional outbursts from a coming-of-age teen. The woven threads of this story deliver a unique mystery as Gwen travels to an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.

The talented narrator, Renee Cannon, breathes life into each of the characters who support Gwen along her journey. The distinctive voices are delivered from beginning to end with outstanding tempo, tonality, expressions, giggles, gasps, and pregnant pauses. The stunning rendition will make listeners laugh, shake their heads, cry, sigh, and beg for Renee Cannon to narrate the sequel. There were no issues with the quality of the performance or final product.

Fans of YA will enjoy this creative chapter of Gwen’s life of love, challenges, and regrets. Teens may universally have different situations in their lives, yet they will find relatable issues of family, friends, school, love, and convictions found in the story. An Otherwise Perfect Plan may deserve the next chapter in the evolving Gwen with a sequel and, as a bonus, the paper she presented to her English teacher.

Review by Rox Burkey and there were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

A Wild Ride of Self-Discovery

An Otherwise Perfect Plan by Ken Schafer, narrated by the talented Renee Cannon, is an absolute gem that I stumbled upon, and I couldn’t be happier that I did. The story follows Gwen Pendergrass, a quirky and fiercely intelligent sixteen-year-old, on her quest to uncover the mystery of her mystery man of a father. Gwen’s journey is filled with humor, heartfelt moments, and a healthy dose of teenage angst, making it a delightful and relatable young adult novel.

From the moment I started listening, I was hooked by Gwen’s witty narration. Renee Cannon does an incredible job bringing Gwen to life, capturing her sarcastic humor and emotional depth with ease. Gwen’s character is one that many of us can relate to – dealing with the ups and downs of adolescence, the pressure of school assignments, and the complexities of family dynamics. The assignment to write about her earliest memory of her father, who she’s never met, sets off a chain of hilarious and heart-wrenching events.

One of the aspects I loved most about this audiobook is how it encapsulates the feeling of “everything is the biggest and worst thing ever” that is so prevalent during the teenage years. Schafer masterfully creates a sense of impending doom over something as simple as a school paper, making it feel like the end of the world for Gwen. The subplot around her budding romance adds just the right amount of levity and drama, making me root for Gwen even more. I found myself laughing, crying, and experiencing all the emotions right alongside her.

The narration truly shines throughout the book, with Renee Cannon becoming Gwen in every way. However, I must mention a couple of moments near the end where the audio paused for over 10 seconds, which pulled me out of the story briefly. Despite this minor hiccup, the overall experience was thoroughly enjoyable.

Ken Schafer has crafted a complete world, with subplots that add richness and depth to Gwen’s story. From her best friend Peter to her mom’s mysterious past, each character and storyline contributes to the overarching theme of self-discovery and the lengths we go to for those we love.

Overall,I enjoyed An Otherwise Perfect Plan. If you enjoy a good coming-of-age story filled with humor, heart, and a dash of mystery, this book is for you. Despite a few technical glitches, the audiobook’s engaging narration and compelling storyline make it a memorable experience.